


Tear it With Your Teeth

by IO_3401



Category: Gotham (TV), Original Work
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-04-04 00:58:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14008689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IO_3401/pseuds/IO_3401
Summary: "Sitting there pretty comes with a price, ya know."Cameron will do anything to survive. He has the scars and memories to prove just that.Besides those, he also has severe burns from a childhood accident, several broken bones from being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and a dozen foster care placements from the past 4 years alone. If anyone were to ask he'd just lie through bared teeth like he always has.Cameron knows what he is. He's a lost cause, an orphan kid who will slip through the cracks and end up dead or behind bars before he's 20. The thought alone is the only thing waking him up anymore. That and the strange boy that keeps smiling at him like he's the only person in the room.-yes its an OC fic but there are canon characters in here and it's decent-





	Tear it With Your Teeth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cameron arrives in a foreign place.
> 
> Published: 3/26/2018 12:14 A.M.

" **-burns**? Do we have a total estimate for the body area burned?"

"We can't tell exactly, but we're looking at over 30 %,"

"Alright. Patient has third-degree burns and the throat appears to be swelling. Let's get an endotracheal tube inserted into the throat immediately."

"On it, sir."

"Do we have a name for the boy or the mother yet?"

"We have IDs on all three of them. Rebecca, Lillie, and Cameron Addy."

That was the last thing 11-year-old Cameron heard as he slipped back into unconsciousness.

When he woke back up he couldn't remember a single thing, save for the one line thought playing over and over in his young mind.

_Get the door for your father, honey._

That felt so familiar. But distant. Like he was in a dream and that's why he couldn't get that aching thought out of him, the feeling of shame and disappointment and guilt. The same god-awful feeling that would haunt him from that moment onwards.

_You've really been acting up lately, Cameron. Do I need to hand out a punishment?_

"No, mama. I'm sorry."

He couldn't remember how long he'd been there, at the hospital, before they removed the bandages. Slowly unwinding them, and as every cloth fell from his face he felt guilt rise up in his stomach more and more. The nurse did her best to smile at him but it came off as a grimace and the look alone made him begin to cry. He wasn't even sure why, he just needed to cry as children do, and so that's what he did. She did her best to calm him and told him he would get better, but she might as well have said nothing. She left later, leaving him a small hand mirror as reassurance of some sort. Reassurance of recovery, of happiness, of gaining back the childhood innocence he'd recently lost, but it seemed futile. Not that he'd go so deep into it anyway.

And he remembered picking up the hand mirror two days later, finally with enough courage to look. It had been too long since then, he couldn't remember what he looked like at first, but it was so _bad_ he vomited on himself. Either out of fear or guilt catching up to him, he didn't know. And didn't want to know for the most part.

When they later told him what had happened he was even more confused. The two people who came into the hospital offered pitied looks, but he didn't get those either.

"What do you mean?" He asked, quirking his head. He tried to squint but the skin on his face felt too tight for much expression. "She went to the neighbor's to borrow sugar for the school bakesale. I was supposed to go but it was too dark and she didn't want us out late."

The two people shared a look, before saying something incoherent to Cameron. He blinked but continued.

"I think she's mad at me."

A second later one of the two people was running out and the other was gripping the corner of his bed, earnestly saying something but he couldn't understand. And then he felt overwhelmed by that sinking feeling again, andit all came out. Cameron sobbed and clutched the blanket so hard one of his stitches snapped and his nails cut tiny crescent moons into his palms.

_You're such a crybaby, Cammie. Why can't you be brave for once?_

He later found out that he'd experienced sudden hearing loss in one year.

Bright red lips, messy blonde hair pulled into a bun, twinkling blue eyes. Lillie's poptarts had just finished and something was sizzling on the kitchen stove. Cameron was doodling something in a notebook. Someone knocked on the door and the house seemed to grow silent at that. He continued to draw. After a few moments it happened again, this time a little louder. His mother called for him to get it, but Cameron threw the notebook and rolled over, trying to look asleep. She called again before the knocking grew, relentless and loud. He heard her walk across the kitchen and begin to unlock the door.

Cameron closed his eyes.

 

* * *

 

 

Even though it had been just a little under 5 years, Cameron was still that clueless kid, slipping in and out of reality when he felt too stressed. He was like that for a while, even years later. Slipping in and out of reality when things became too stressful. After that everything went by fast. The court case, his mother's funeral, being placed in foster care, all his different homes, and now moving to a different state; it went by so fast that sometimes Cameron still felt like the little boy just being told his mother had died. The only thing that didn't seem to move rapidly was his treatment.  

After 5 years, 7 surgeries, and therapy he still felt all the same. Numb and itchy. 

Now, Cameron resisted the urge to itch at his cheek as the bus shifted to a stop. Several people unboarded in a hurry, all of them eager to get off of the overheated Greyhound bus. Cameron crinkled his nose as a man walking by made a sketchy scent waft in his direction. Disgusting...but rewarding he realized a second later. A wallet slipped out of the man's coat pocket and onto the dirty grey floor. The man was in too much of a rush to notice, and the second the back of his head disappeared from sight, Cameron was ducking to pick it up. 

The noiret glanced around only for a moment and was relieved to see nobody else was eyeing it or had even noticed. Good. He sat back up onto the cushioned seat and swiped a thumb over the leather wallet. Cameron didn't bother glancing at the ID as he fingered through it. A few expired coupons, a credit card, a membership slip to some cinema, and $20 in cash. Cameron rolled his eyes at that and tucked the wallet into his back pocket.  _Cheapskate._

He'd have to check the credit card later.

He silently drummed his fingers on his knees as he waited for his station to come up. The bus made a few separate stops before it finally came, but the wait wasn't long compared to the two hours and other bus rides Cameron had to take beforehand.

When the bus did finally pull to a halt, Cameron was already standing up, slinging his almost-empty backpack over his shoulder.

"Mooney Bridge," the bus driver announced over the speaker, sounding absolutely sleep deprived. Cameron couldn't blame him though, he had only been able to sleep a few minutes in the past day.

He walked down the aisle solemnly, ignoring the pointed stare he saw out of the corner of his eyes. He was too used to it to care anymore. So instead of making a scen or staring back, he dismounted the bus, thankful for the cool air outside. A few people got off as well, but they made their disdain obvious by walking in the opposite direction of him. Oh well.

And so Cameron left, walking down the cement sidewalk and across the bridge. He still had to walk aways to the orphanage, but he didn't really mind. He had to whip his city map out a few times, many of the street signs being too vandalized to read. He noticed as he delved deeper into the area, that this whole side of town was sketchy. It was very late- no, early? 4 A.M.-ish. You'd expect no one to be about, save for a few people heading to work. Instead, Cameron saw a couple homeless people either sleeping on random benches or wandering around aimlessly. One man he walked past was dazing off, mouth slack and a needle sticking out of his arm. On the other side of the street, two people were arguing in hushed voices before one of them pushed something towards the other and hurried away. A tired older woman pointedly stepped over the legs of the tweaker Cameron had just walked past. Strange.

When Cameron did find his way to the orphanage, he was feeling exhausted. Staying up on several stressful bus rides and zigzagging the streets searching managed to talk its toll on the boy, and both his feet and eyelids felt heavy.

He had to check the supposed orphanage's sign a few times before he believed it was really the place. There was no way a building like _this_ could be an orphanage. The redwood sign glaring **'Falcone Home and School for _Orphans'_** seemed to disagree, however. This was the place apparently. 

That didn't stop Cameron from hesitating as he reached the door, though. The place looked way too upper-class to be an orphanage. He eventually gave in, and tugged on the door handle, surprised to see it open. Maybe it wasn't as early as he thought. He looked back for a mere moment, to see the horizon perking up with a series of oranges and yellows. 

He turned back and stepped inside quickly, having grown cold despite his previous gratefulness for it. 

The door's weight made it slam shut behind him and caught the attention of a woman across the room. She looked up surprised, and (without hiding it well) paled. She froze for a second but brushed past it. In a stern voice, she spoke to him, loud and clear. 

"'Can I help you? This is a private building."

Cameron haltered, forgetting his words momentarily.

"Uhh, yes! Yes. I'm supposed to be taken in and enrolled here."

She looked him up and down, disbelief clear. "Do you have a name?"

Cameron almost rolled his eyes. 

"Cameron Addy." 

She paused, before brightening. "Oh. Oh....!" She stiffened but immediately seemed more open. "The boy from Queens, right? We weren't expecting you until tomorrow."

He shrugged, feeling uncomfortable. She wasn't making eye contact, barely looking to the side of his head. Most people had dignity enough to either look down or away or make eye contact as long as they needed to.At least he was trying he guessed. "My social worker sent me as early as she could. Something about buses being available."

"Mmm hmm." She hummed in response. Her lips pulled tight into a frown. She seemed like she wasn't believing a word of it. "Well, you look exhausted, dear. I'll show you to a spare room and you can sleep there while I get your files set up and add you the system." She brushed past it quickly, and a moment later Cameron was wordlessly following her. He couldn't help but notice that the inside of the building was just as stunning as the outside.

When Cameron thought of orphanages, he thought of small grey buildings with peeling paint and torn carpeting, where children were kept cramped together in single rooms by the dozen. Not three-story buildings with marble carved steps and red velvet walls and incandescent lighting. Well, he supposed it was a  _private_ orphanage, after all. Outside of movies, Cameron had no experience with orphanages before today. 

She led him to the third floor before she stopped at a door and pulled out a ring of keys. She flipped through a few, before finally picking a bronze one and twisting it into the doorknob. The door pushed open with a groan, and for the third time that day, Cameron was dumbfounded. It looked like one of the fancy hotel room he used to stay in with his uncle. A set of king-sized beds, dressers, desks, and lamps all mirroring each other. A nightstand stood between the beds and a shelf between the two desks. A large window with deep red curtains on the opposite side of the room. This was all he could see with the lighting from the hallway and the moonlight from the window shining in, but he was already astonished. 

"Normally you'd have a roommate but we have a few slots open this time of year." She hastily explained, still standing in the doorway. "When you wake up you can come down or we'll send someone up to show you around. Goodnight." 

Cameron nodded in reply, at a loss for words.

As soon as the unnamed woman left, Cameron all but slammed the door. He dropped his bag and kicked his shoes off somewhere in the dark. He didn't even bother turning on the lights. Cameron stalked over to the nearest bed and practically face-planted into it. The plush blankets and satin sheets bunched between his finger when he lazily pulled them over. The curtains were dragged open a ways, casting soft blue light in every time a car passed.

Cameron was too tired to change out of his clothes or really do anything. Normally he had trouble falling asleep in foreign places, but not today. Sleep tugged at his eyelids and with a huff he closed them, giving in. As he slipped out of consciousness he hoped this all wasn't a dream.

 

* * *

 

 **Cameron** woke up feeling completely lifeless. Harsh sunlight flooded in through the windows and the bed felt way too comfortable to move away from. He had to blink the drowsiness away, and his whole body felt heavy and stiff...and sweaty. Especially that. He wrinkled his noise and made a face as he shifted over so he was in an upright position. Cameron could feel the hot perspiration coating his legs and back. He definitely needed a shower as soon as he got up.

And that's when it snapped in him that it was at least midday and the woman from this morning was probably waiting for him.

Cameron didn't bother getting changed as he rushed out of bed. He didn't exactly bring a lot of clothes. Instead, he shoved his shoes on messily after scourging for them under the bed, and grabbed his bag. If the people here randomly decided he wasn't worth keeping, he didn't want to leave what little he had behind like last time.

The noiret's hair was definitely messy and he probably smelled terrible, but he figured he could just ask for a bathroom when he saw her again.

The boy made sure to securely close the door behind himself before he rushed down the hall, following this morning's dazed memory the best he could. He had an idea of where the stairs were, but as soon as he neared them he heard the immediate sound of laughter. That was never a good sign, so he froze up for a second.

It was a small group of kids, probably a few years younger than him, making their way downstairs. Okay, so maybe he wasn't too late.

As soon as they were out of ear range, he made his way down the same direction, although a little slower this time. Now that daylight was helping to light up the halls, he could take in everything much better. The rooms were still just as impressive, if not more so. It looked more like some sort of fancy hotel rather than an orphanage. Cameron made it down the second set of stairs and into what he guessed was the lobby. Luckily, the woman from earlier was still there, stapling something and flipping through papers. She didn't look at him until he was within a few feet of her desk, but then again when she did look at him it was the side of his head, so it didn't matter.

"Ah yes, Mr. Addy. Finally awake I see?" There was no venom in her words, but it still felt blunt. He rushed in to excuse himself, but she merely cut him off. "I went through your file earlier and their are a few issues I'd like to discuss. Feel free to sit down, this is going to take a few minutes."

He nodded and took a seat, but internally was panicking. He already had a vague idea of what she wanted to 'talk' about. it was the same thing all the ones before this wanted to talk about, a question he didn't have the answer to, and probably never would. Instead of saying anything, he gave another curt odd and did his best to sit still.

"Right here, it says you have a hearing aid and communication issues with peers." She explained softly, pointing to an area on one off his papers. Cameron was surprised she didn't mention the obvious, or at least what he was expecting; it must have shown because she quickly reassured him.

"There's nothing wrong with, I just wanted to know whether you needed further assistance with medical needs or if you wanted to be placed in the specail-ed class where you might be more comfortable."

Cameron took a second to recover before he nodded. "I'm fine. The special-ed class would be better....and is physical education required here? I don't like to go outside because it gets irritated." He didn't need to name what 'it' was as she was already nodding in full understanding.

"We usually don't let students skip that, but in your case I could work something out. We have a library you could use that hour to study for."

 He took the offer without second thought. The rest of their brief meeting consisted of the woman- who learned was called Ms. Greene- asking him about medical and schooling needs and preferences. She seemed to be ignoring the most obvious question in the air, which in all honesty Cameron was fine with. Afterwards, she printed a schedule for him and told him where he could find the classrooms and showers. He thanked her curtly and left as soon as possible, eager to get the filth of the past three days off.

The noiret wandered around lost for a good 10 minutes, before he eventually found the shower room. It seemed to be empty, most students probably being in class right now. Again, that was fine with him.

He got undressed quickly and stuffed the dirty clothes into his bag, which he slammed into the nearest locker. After picking a towel from where they were stacked along the wall, he picked the farthest shower and stepped in as soon as the water warmed enough to his liking. Most showers he took were cold or lukewarm. Hot water made the scarred parts of the skin itch and chaffe. Besides temperature, strong water pressure basically did the same thing. He was relieved these were gentle.

Cameron only took a few minutes, washing his hair out and gently going over his body with a cloth.

When he was done he didn't bother getting out just yet. Instead, he slumped onto the ground and leaned against the wall. He tilted his head back and sighed softly, closing his eyes.

He wasn't tired in the slightest. He still had a good 6 hours before curfew but in all honesty he didn't know what he was going to do then. He could walk around the orphanage, maybe find the rooms he'd need tomorrow or even take in the sights of this big city. He told himself he'd think on it but he already knew he wasn't going out.

Besides, this was good.

He felt an unnatural sense of relief. The calm in the eye of a storm, the quiet before a disaster.

No first-day fights, no cold glares from foster parents who didn't care, no biting feelings of regret and fear.

Yes, this was good.

For the first time in a while, in a fancy shower in a high-class orphanage, in a state he was foreign to, Cameron felt peaceful.

Cameron exhaled. He could get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah,, that chapter was a bit fast-paced but it'll move a little slower when the plot and other characters start coming into play.  
> The ending seems weird but I didn't know how to finish perfectly, and it seemed like a nice place to finish a first chapter. He seems a little unemotionless and awkward right now, but he starts coming out of his shell.  
> Sorry for any mistakes btw, Grammarly edits my stuff lmao
> 
> Next chapter Ezra comes in and the setting starts being set. Selina and Kyle come in shortly too!


End file.
